The latest Pablo Sandoval MLB and fantasy baseball news

Boston Red Sox 3B Pablo Sandoval reportedly showed up to camp this year overweight, but the Red Sox are not concerned about his weight in spring training, according to manager John Farrell. "Well, his body type hasn't changed since signing with us," said Farrell. "He's a guy that's converted from catcher to the third base position. He transitioned successfully at it a number of years ago."

Fantasy Tip: Sandoval's weight and conditioning will always be in question. If you are unconcerned about his physical issues, the Panda should make a perfectly acceptable third base option for your fantasy squad once the bigger names come off the board. The move to the AL and Fenway Park should help his cause to reach 20 homers.

Fantasy Tip: They don't call him the Kung Fu Panda for nothing! Sandoval typically struggles to keep the extra pounds off, although he's dedicated himself to staying fit and reporting under weight the last several seasons in SF. Extra weight this spring won't be a welcomed sight for those considering Sandoval as their starting fantasy third baseman. The move to the AL is welcomed for his value, but injury and conditioning concerns have made him a risky selection in the past.

Boston Red Sox 3B Pablo Sandoval wants to improve against left-handed pitching this year. He's hit only .271 against lefties in his career compared to .304 against righties. Last year, Sandoval hit just .199 against left-handers. He spent much of the offseason hitting from the right side of the plate. The good thing for the Red Sox is that the rest of their lineup is predominantly right-handed.

Fantasy Tip: The move from the NL and a pitcher-friendly park to the AL and Fenway Park will be an attractive thing for the Kung Fu Panda's fantasy value. However, there is always the risk of injury and poor conditioning with Sandoval, which keeps him just outside of the top-10 fantasy third basemen.

In a radio interview with WEEI, Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell said he is leaning towards having OF Hanley Ramirez bat cleanup behind DH David Ortiz, with 3B Pablo Sandoval batting fifth and 1B Mike Napoli batting sixth. "The one thing that clearly stands out is we have balance left- and right-handed," Farrell said. "I have always liked David in the No. 3 hole. You know he is going to come up in the first inning. I think Hanley gives David some protection behind him. Then you start to create some protection, and we want to keep Sandoval on the left side of the plate as much as possible - so if you sandwich him in between Ramirez and Napoli, you start to have a formidable middle of the order where you're going left-right-left-right all the way through there."

Boston Red Sox 3B Pablo Sandoval will receive a $3 million signing bonus and then get $17 million annually in 2015, 2016 and 2017. The salary rises to $18 million in 2018 and 2019. The club has an option for $17 million in 2020 with a $5 million buyout.